Community Centers A to Z

Ballard Community Center blends well into the historic Ballard neighborhood, within walking distance of the Ballard Locks and the shops and restaurants on Market Street. Most people recognize the building from its large boat structure, which is part of the design of the children's play area in the front of the center. The lobby and reception area get excellent natural light in the daytime. Throughout the facility are many photos of the staff and community members who have frequented the center over the years.

Belltown Community Center is located on Bell Street in the heart of one of Seattle's fastest growing neighborhoods, a few blocks away from the downtown shopping core, the Pike Place Market and Seattle Center. Opened in 2012, the classic one-story brick structure features a welcoming lobby where visitors can play board games, ping pong, use the computer, or listen to music while taking in the beautiful art on the walls. Other popular spaces in the center include a tot room filled with toys and big foam blocks, a meeting room, and a sizable multipurpose room with big arched windows and a kitchen to accommodate special events.

Bitter Lake Community Center is situated on the edge of small lake and Bitter Lake Playfield in the northwest sector of Seattle. The neighborhood is ethnically diverse with large immigrant and senior populations.

Built in 1992, Delridge Community Center opens up to a lush, green playfield in West Seattle's diverse north Delridge neighborhood, within walking distance of the West Seattle Golf Course and Camp Long. The lobby acts as a gathering space and entertainment room, with ample seating, a flat screen TV, as well as ping pong and foosball. Just opposite the lobby is the preschool room, and nearby is the Rec Tech Room that houses 12 computers for public use. The center also has a teen room, dance/multipurpose room, kitchen, fitness room, child care room and a full-sized gym with a basketball court and four shower rooms. Art installations created by teens and other artwork are visible both inside and outside the facility.

Garfield Community Center is located on the Garfield Campus. The Campus offers tennis courts, Medgar Evers Swimming Pool, Garfield Teen Life Center, Garfield High School, baseball fields and landscaped lawn with lots of trees. In front of the main entrance there is a plaza with benches and a kid's play area with climbing equipment and swings next to our community garden

Green Lake Community Center is situated on the east side of Seattle's enormously popular Green Lake Park. The park is surrounded by a vibrant residential and business district, with a library, restaurants, coffee shops and shopping. The biggest attraction to the area is the lake itself, drawing thousands of people a day to jog, walk or wheel around the 2.8-mile path that encircles the body of water. Other popular activities include renting kayaks and other kinds of water craft, and playing in one of the many sports leagues that use the park.

Built in 1911, Hiawatha is the oldest community center west of the Mississippi and the building and surroundings were designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers landscape architectural firm. A stage and auditorium are located on the top floor with a small galley kitchen. On the main floor are two medium size rooms which house youth and tween programming year round. On the lower level is the full sized gymnasium that is used for tot gym, senior programming, 27 basketball teams, High School Drop in and tween programming.

The International District/Chinatown Community Center is located on the southern edge of Seattle's historic and ethnically diverse International District. The center is next door to the International District/Chinatown Branch of the Seattle Public Library, near several prominent social service agencies, restaurants and other retail shops.

Jefferson Community Center is in the heart of Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood just minutes from downtown in the recently expanded and renovated Jefferson Park. This destination park boasts a large play area, spraypark, zip lines, tennis courts, skate park, cricket pitch, sportsfields, lawn bowling green, the oldest golf course in Seattle and a great ¾-mile walking path. Nearby is a fire station, Mercer Middle School and Seattle Parks and Recreation horticulture buildings.

Laurelhurst Community Center is located at the top of a steep hill in the midst of the Laurelhurst residential neighborhood offering great views of Lake Washington and in close proximity to Children's Hospital, University Village, Magnuson Park and the University of Washington. The setting for the community center is the beautiful Laurelhurst Park, which includes a large play area, baseball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts and walking path around the park.

Loyal Heights Community Center is in the heart of the Loyal Heights neighborhood in northwest Seattle. Loyal Heights has a large green space and a small play area on the main part of the campus. Below the center to the south is a lighted synthetic athletic field that is used for baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, flag football and large special events. Loyal Heights is near two elementary schools and one middle school.

Built in 1952, the multi-story center has classic charm and is connected to Catherine Blaine Elementary K-8 School. The community center and school was the first construction project that was jointly built by Seattle Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Schools. The entrance has a lobby with a nice sitting area overlooking the gym, and is lit by natural light coming through the atrium ceiling. The main level has two multipurpose rooms, a pottery room, two rooms designed for youth programming and a pottery room.

Magnuson Community Center is notable for its unique location inside Magnuson Park, a former U.S. naval air station that is now Seattle's second largest park at 350 acres. The park has more than 10 ballfields, nearly 40 acres of wetlands, a large play area, dog off-leash area, a swimming beach and boat launch on Lake Washington, historic district, and trails and roads connecting everything. To the south of the community center is Solid Ground Housing which serves more than 250 formerly homeless residents in permanent and transitional housing.

Meadowbrook Community Center is an oasis for recreation, serving a very diverse section of northeast Seattle, just south of the Lake City neighborhood. Meadowbrook Community Center and the adjacent Meadowbrook Pool are neighbors with Nathan Hale High School and Jane Addams Middle School.

Built in 1998, the two-story community center is set into a hill with the main entrance on the second floor, welcoming visitors with an attractive well-lit foyer. The second floor has a small seating area, a teen room, small meeting room and offices. The first floor is accessible by a staircase and an elevator and features a multipurpose room with a large commercial-grade kitchen, tot play room, offices and a full-size gym. Miller Community Center was originally housed in the Meany Middle School Annex. Miller also has some attractive artwork including a striking bench depicting three African women.

Located across from Northgate Mall in one of the Seattle's densest retail areas, Northgate Community Center provides a welcome respite from the noise and commotion of the surrounding neighborhood. The center shares a parking lot with the Northgate Library which is located just to the north.

On the top of Queen Anne Hill, Queen Anne Community Center is a hub of fun, learning, recreation and leisure for people of all ages. This is a place that fosters a true sense of community as many neighborhood residents are involved in the center as volunteers, coaches, instructors and participants. Built in 1950, the two-story facility consists of a gym, pottery room, teen room, preschool room, senior room, before- and after-school rooms, weight room, meeting rooms, office space, lobby area, locker rooms, and a small kitchen (upstairs) as well as a medium-sized kitchen (downstairs).

The community and pool were recently remodeled and re-opened its doors in September 2013. Certified as LEED Gold for its sustainable environmental design, the modern 46,500-square-foot building has one story and features natural lighting through its many windows. The reception/front desk area handles all community center and pool transactions. The outdoor space features metal benches and wood seats, permanent chess boards on some of the tables and a children's play area. On the south side of the building community groups use a public plaza to host public events throughout the year. Nearby are a library, South Shore School and a light rail station.

Built in 1996, the building is the second largest community center in the state, and includes two full-sized gyms, a large lobby, multipurpose room with commercial grade kitchen, computer room, a fitness room and a number of smaller rooms that are used for meetings, classes and programs. The east wall of that lobby has distinctive artwork created by artist Marita Dingus and youth from the center.

Though small in size, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center is as busy and well attended as any center in the city. Ravenna-Eckstein is located north of the University District, and east of Green Lake, half a block from NE 65th St., where there are several restaurants, fitness studios, Third Place Book Store and the Ida Culver retirement home.

Built in the late 1980s, the facility is a modern adobe-style building with a vaulted ceiling in the lobby and several large windows that look out onto a medium-sized playfield. The lobby area has both a meeting/study area and a lounge area furnished with soft leather chairs and a television. Other interior spaces include a child care room, a computer lab, a newly redesigned teen room, a medium-sized multipurpose room with a mirrored wall, and a full-size gym. Adjacent to the building outside is the playfield with two baseball diamonds and two soccer goals. There is also a wading pool, tennis court, basketball court and small play area.

Van Asselt Community Center boasts a diverse youth/teen population and programming that serves an ethnically diverse community, from preschool-aged children to seniors. The center is situated at the edge of the New Holly neighborhood, which primarily consists of housing, but also includes a branch of Seattle Public Library, satellite campus of South Seattle Community College, and other community buildings.

Yesler Community Center, located in the heat of the Yesler Terrace housing neighborhood, serves people from a multitude of world cultures, including a number of different East African communities. In the near future, potential customers will include residents of new apartments being developed nearby by Vulcan Properties. The community center also draws participants from the First Hill neighborhood to the north, which includes Harborview Hospital, and downtown Seattle, located west and down the hill from the center.